Living in Columbia
Columbia, Mo., is regarded as the quintessential college town, combining small-town comfort, community sprit and cost of living with big-city culture, activities and resources.
Money magazine, Fortune magazine, U.S. News & World Report, Men's Journal, MSN.com and other news entities have named Columbia, Mo., one of the best places in the United States to live because of its high quality of life.
Schools
Columbia is home to nationally renowned public schools, including two top-ranked high schools, and educational centers such as the new interactive YouZeum. It also supports other institutes of higher education, including Columbia College, which is ranked "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report, and Stephens College, a women’s college known for its fashion, film and fine-arts.
Downtown
Columbia’s historic downtown district is packed with restaurants and entertainment. For 25 years, The Blue Note has attracted top musicians of all genres, from indie-rock to old-school blues. Ragtag Cinema shows independent and international films in a hipster-friendly setting. The 1938-constructed Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts, home to the Missouri Symphony Society, recently was restored to its original grandeur. Columbia’s local art community thrives, with galleries and venues including Orr Street Studios, PS:Gallery, Bluestem Missouri Crafts and the Columbia Art League.
The great outdoors
Columbia boasts multiple city parks as well as Rock Bridge State Park and the city’s Activity and Recreation Center. Columbia is an increasingly bicycle-friendly community, with a city program to encourage cycling. The MKT Trail takes cyclers and hikers all through Columbia and links to the 225-mile Katy Trail that stretches across the state.
Festivals and events
Columbia hosts more than a dozen annual festivals, including a the Festival of the Arts, the Heritage Festival, the internationally acclaimed True/False Film Festival that attracts documentary filmmakers from throughout the world and the New York Times-touted Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival, which draws top-named blues acts and a crowd of 100,000 people.
